THROWBACK PHOTO: Dame Eugenia being sworn in as Dominica’s 3rd prime minister

Today (23 July 2020) marks the 40th anniversary of the swearing-in of Dame Mary Eugenia Charles as Dominica’s third prime minister.

The attached photo shows Dame Eugenia being sworn in by President Aurelius Marie on the steps of Government House on 23 July 1980.

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38 Comments

  1. Lin Clown
    July 26, 2020

    Francisco,right under your nose SC Anthony Astaphan(sir) got your party UWP to pay $16,000,000 to the LAVILLE’S for a failed Londondery estate.This payment was for land to build an international,which Astaphan knew UWP couldn’t build.Because of UWP LYING FOOLISHNESS and CORRUPTION he was able secure $16,000,000 from UWP for his client.Later Anthony Astaphan had Edison James drinking AIR,several times from an empty glass.Remember the conspiracy to frame Miss.Charles,.Gonzalez,Oreo cookies and Ice tea?UWP paid those crooked so called DFP members $250,000 to build a fountain on Eugenia Charles boulevard,in exchange for DFP support.The fountain never worked.TRAITORS.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      July 29, 2020

      Mr. Clown, with your yellow nose!Is it not better for Edison James to pay Laville for his land rather than thief it?
      Sometimes I don’t even understand some of the comments written, for instance this one in which I can’t determine what you have suggest.

      For your information; Edison James and the UWP bought the land to be distributed among  the Farmers in exchange for their land that was to be utilized as public domain in the building of the International Airport.

      That was mandatory, and I am sure the UWP did not simple pull a figure such as sixteen million out of thin air. There was lots of transparency, no thieving was involved.

      So, I ask you now who owns Mercury Properties?

       So, Clown, do you remember the first  on Rosie’s agenda was to distribute the land to his fiends, even one from Woodford Hill who claimed all the flat land at Broad Road; he said; that is his pound of beef for money he gave to Rosie?

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      July 29, 2020

      “$16,000,000 to the LAVILLE’S for a failed Londondery estate. “What are you talking about guy; what failed Londonderry Estate are you talking about?
      If Londonderry Estate was a failure, then Melville Hall Estate, Woodford Hill Estate, Blemming Estate, the one owned by Douglas, and Picard Estate all on the North of Dominica from Melville Hall to Portsmouth are failures too. You know when you are dealing with me; you need to know what you talking about you see because I will use some history to level you okay!
      Let me tell you something, the Estates I mentioned went out of business when the workers discovered they could work for themselves on their own land and made more money in Agriculture than working on Estates.”

      Green gold:” I am talking about bananas here; those are the days Dominica was prosperous until your corrupted crook Roosevelt Skerrit destroy the agriculture industry.

      (I doh know the real meaning); but as you all say in Dominica “wheel and come again.”

  2. Man bites dogs
    July 25, 2020

    Dame Eugenia Charles, was a great leader in her days and I have always said if she was here today as leader that fake Lennox Linton, would be out of sight out of mind, please don’t be misunderstood Mr Skerrit is a good leader with a different approach and good intentions to me and Mr Mosses, one day soon hopefully the monster will disappear from our backs 🙏🙏🙏

  3. J.John-Charles
    July 25, 2020

    Just a correction ..living in England

  4. J.John-Charles
    July 24, 2020

    Wallace Hussey,,,I will not call you a LIAR. But will say to you,wake up from your sleep.You are dreaming.
    When the Venezuelans were surveying the Grand Savannah at Salisbury for the airport.I was working for the UWI as a Field Record with two other gentlemen. UWI had a program called Regional Research Center/Regional Field Experimental Program.We did not asked Miss Charles permission to do the agricultural research on her land, because it was not her land.Yes we got the right from the heirs of H.D.Shillingford. I don’t know who gave you this information.
    Let me gave you a little advice.
    Thou Shalt Not Lie On The Dead.

    • Joke dat
      July 28, 2020

      You were working for UWI and you sound so illiterate. The mention of these folks gives away your age, just stay in retirement and use your time to read and research. Did you know research is no longer just for younger people? No need for physical library to go to anymore. Just a reminder.
      I gave you a thumbs up for the Domlec bit but do encourage you to research before you write on the many subjects you comment with stupidity.

  5. J.John-Charles
    July 24, 2020

    This lady put Dominicans first.
    Before her advent..(DFP) Domlec was owned by CDC in England.In 1987 this advertisement was published in the New Chronicle.
    Domlec Shares
    The government of Dominica is inviting Dominicans at home and overseas to become shareholders of DOMLEC. the Dominican electricity Services Ltd.
    According to a prospectus published recently 1,200,000 ordinary shares are being offered in an effort to facilitate public and employee participation in the ownership of the company. The share cost $1.00 each and must be purchased in groups of ten.
    You know who sold it. And the present regime promised to put it back in the hands of Dominicans. When the opportunity came,they turned their backs.
    Even old me have shares in Domlec.
    Thank You Miss Charles.

  6. EJ Thomas
    July 24, 2020

    Those Ugly, Ugly Days – Dame:
    They Turned into 40 years of MISERY for me and quite a few.
    To begin the ground did by my parents in the forties fifties, sixties and me in the 70s was totally destroyed in May of 1979. Never before seen political violence erupted on that morning to a new high. The motion was mostly led by disgruntled Civil Servants and leader of the organization. Of course in the wing was the Freedom Party who were determined to undermine and bring to an end the reign of Premier E.O.LeBlanc who came into power in the early sixties. The signature-pipe-smoking family man and agriculturist who became politician was a smooth, respectful outsider from the countryside. His popularity came from the poorer masses: the labourers, farmers, micro business people scattered all over, store clerks and a large swath of unemployed citizens . The “Shoe People” who mostly walked to and from work when employed back then were under paid – on average – $7 to $12 a week.

    • Bwa-Bandy
      July 24, 2020

      Oh how times flies. Viva, Viva, Viva Mama Eugenia! The three biggest mistakes of her political career are:
      1. Putting too much trust in Charles Angelo Savarin on his return from political exile/ ambassadorship in Brussels
      2. Discrediting OJ Seraphine’s food vouchers (food stamps) as his own currency for the country
      3. Turning Dcans against Eddison James and the UWP because of “personal beef”. This is still destroying Dca today.
      Nonetheless, she has been forgiven by many of us and will always be loved. No way in HELL would Skerrit be in office today if our beloved mamo was alive even with the a little strength. Oh HELL no! So EJ, once again I implore on you the need to come visit the homeland and make peace with yourself and others. Just maybe, seeing first hand what Skerrit and the New Shoe Cabal along wit Savarin is doing will bring some sense of balance to how you feel about 1979. Tell us when you are coming and we will roll out the red carpet for you, yes you a son of the…

  7. EJ
    July 24, 2020

    The almost twenty year struggle of the Freedom Partycame to a triumphant win in the closing decade of the seventies. The Party of The Little Men was systematically brought to it’s knees. Successors Patrick John and O. J Seraphin was no match to the “warfare style” strategy and student of the Machiavelli Principle coupled with the methods of SunTzu. Never mind the “bring come, bring go” that was perpetrated to the demise and unraveling of the government of the day. Let’s not include Grenada here: The Lady Columbus of the Eighties…..

  8. EJ
    July 24, 2020

    The streets of Roseau was almost left bare when the anarchy subsided. It had become a very dangerous atmosphere of seismic proportion created by human rioters and vicious looters. They were in a trance with the mantra in their heads; “march, march I must, harass, loot, destroy I must”. The earthly programmed zombies terrorized the town to submission in a few weeks.
    The chaos was subsequently stopped on a dime. The autocratic ruler accumulated a very long list of Dominicians who were obliterated to attest to that.
    So the Freedom Party Icons were back on track politically with it’s leader to play the central role in the reestablishment of Dominician Aristocracy and the Merchant Club MiLatre. So, the plan of intelligentsia was to bring aboard a few young people with strong grass-root labor connections. Bingo! It worked! On July 23rd 1980, dressed in an all white, shoe included, the Dame signed in as Prime Minister.

  9. EJ
    July 24, 2020

    “All Aboard?” called out the lady conductor. Well, so she thought. The numbers in those who jeered, looted, rioted viciously and vicariously were in the thousands. Tens of thousands; the pendulum had swung big time to the right. The Unions jettisoned the old ship. There were ambitious newcomers who saw their opportunity to a new shore line in those surging waves of politics.
    However, the wish to bring back the bourgeois slave sentiments turned out to be a wasted fever of the heart. The new administrators had not the allegiance of the old boy, or parents or uncles. Each man was looking out for himself especially one who reached the pinnacle of political success. This individual busied himself for the opportune time to leap-frog into infamy or honor, depending on your political lens, or family ties.

  10. Dr Clayton Shillingford
    July 24, 2020

    Unflattering and nasty comments about Eugenia Charles I thought in general she did good work for Dominica and enhanced the image of the country..internationally She did not seek to enrich herself as Skerrit does These negative comments are probably not justified on balance

    • EJ Thomas
      July 24, 2020

      How are you Sir? Of course Dr Shillingford you would have a very rosy picture of this lady who undid so many people as a young CEO of Penny Bank up to the Day she became the Lioness of DA. It was open season for VENDETTAS. Were you around when people’s lives were sur•rep•ti•tious•ly destroyed from behind her iron curtain. After walking out abruptly on YOUR duties as a top DGS teacher and coach on us at a school assembly. Did you leave leave Dominica soon after?. And for how long? It was about the time and years for the “little men” under Premier E O LeBlanc and I think Mr. Stevens (country folks) who was responsible for Education. I am a candidate of this woman’s vengeance and malice. I was politically sent into exile away from my beautiful WaterFalls in the valley of Trafalgar. I’ve got deep, deep reasons to abhor this woman. My inheritance and future was destroyed totally by the doings of this woman. You read part of my story published a week ago on DNO.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      July 24, 2020

      Clayton, you are wrong this time!

      If there is anything good  I can say about her is that she was the first to recognized that government should pay its debt.
      Prior to her government would credit merchants merchandise, and when time come to pay the creditors; they would simple  tell the creditors: (de government doh have de money to pay).

      She changed that, and that’s the only good I have to say about that woman.

      She was evil and wicked to the day of her demised!

      • Bwa-Banday
        July 24, 2020

        FET you wrong for that bro. She was not perfect but was the right person at the time to turn the country around. Was she the symbol of perfection…oh no but who is?

        And please don’t make me put the said Mrs. Xavier :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Mrs. Hollier than thou on your case this Friday because there will be venom spewing all over DNO :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

      • EJ
        July 24, 2020

        Mr. Telemaque:
        Do not overlook the fact that she was Chief Officer and Lawyer in the banking business early in her career – Cooperative Bank. With that in mind, she knew as the CEO the key to Credit worthiness was to pay debts on time and avoid indebtedness.

      • J.John-Charles
        July 25, 2020

        Still answering Wallace Hussey.

        When Dense Shillingford took over Macouchrie and Batalie Estate.He told the young men from Salisbury growing vegetables on the Grand Savannah.
        “The land is for sale, I have also made arrangement with the Barclays bank. so that you can get your loan and buy what you can afford.”
        I will not tell you how much Dense charged us per acre. But this I can say, currently you must get $10-$15.00 to buy one square foot in 2020
        So thank God for Dense and Miss Charles administration we were able to repay the loan.
        So you can see we did not buy land from Miss Charles,and some of us sold house lots TO PEOPLE LEAVING IN ENGLAND.

  11. Say it as
    July 24, 2020

    This was a period when there was real governance, when the whole island got electrified including Tarreau next door, when feeder roads were constructed and surfaced with up to the plantations, when the primary healthcare system was developed and health centres built all over the place, when the Government housing loan board was created, when the cruise-ship ports were constructed, When the industrial estate in Canefield was constructed and IDC was formed, this is when Dexia was set up, this is when major road rehabilitation took placed, this when the Education Trust Fund was establish, the real housing revolution when we the people built our houses, this was when money was in the hands of the average man and there was real village life. And I can go on and on. If wish that I continue let me know

  12. Say it as
    July 24, 2020

    What was great about her? This was a period when there was real governance, when the whole island got electrified including Tarreau next door, when feeder roads were constructed and surfaced with up to the plantations, when the primary healthcare system was developed and health centres built all over the place, when the Government housing loan board was created, when the cruise-ship ports were constructed, When the industrial estate in Canefield was constructed and IDC was formed, this is when Dexia was set up, this is when major road rehabilitation took placed, this when the Education Trust Fund was establish, the real housing revolution when we the people built our houses, this was when money was in the hands of the average man and there was real village life. And I can go on and on. If wish that I continue let me know

  13. Cobra
    July 23, 2020

    What a vindictive and plain horrible woman. Spoilt bourgeois racist so-called upper class.
    Delivered unto her enemies a d friends alike with such scorn and disdain.
    What about her memory is great?

  14. Hot Gucci mama
    July 23, 2020

    Was never a big fan of mamo but I would do anything to bring her back, Compare to those high rollers with have running the country. I know with that kind of money Dominica have now. DA would be the best island in the Caribbean. People would be leaving the other islands to come to Dominica and work. Instead it’s the other way around. My people are going all over the Caribbean looking for work. It’s so sad. Am praying for things to get better back home.

  15. Don Bradman
    July 23, 2020

    error: ” her back pocket”

  16. Don Bradman
    July 23, 2020

    Wallace:
    She never carried the country’s treasury in he back pocket
    She never misplaced 1.3 billion dollars
    She was raised with wealth and never needed the poor people money to live in a luxury
    She represented Dominica with class and not self
    She allowed every minister represent their constituency with confidence
    House of assembly was an education to the current zoo with a speaker that only a mother could respect. The list to be continued

    • July 23, 2020

      Bradman
      That is good enough for you I wonder where you were when she was destroying the
      hopes of the cane field stadium. Tell me how good she was when she destroy the plan for the airport @ Salisbury the land was sold by her to folks that was in England to build houses. Tell me how good she was when a young lady working in her office on old street and after 15 yrs.ask her for a letter of recommendation because she was going to Canada and she refuse the young girl the letter and telling her she better off in DA. The young lady had to go to another well known lawyer to get that paper. Dont know what you are talking about .

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        July 29, 2020

        There are lots of people talking crap about that woman, who does not know a thing about her:
        She’s dead right?
        So  they want to crown her a saint, but while she was alive with her bourgeoisie complex and mentality that is not the song they sang.

        I wrote a true comment about that lady, who took money to defend Hilton Thomas from Wesley against Melville Estate which the Overseer of the Estate who accused him was her relative.

        While she was having; or doing whatever in the house of the accuser, Grenada,Redhead the magistrate was sentencing Hilton to seven (7) years in jail!

        What about the abducted Honeychurch, if that woman negotiated with the Dreads for his release they would not have murdered Honeychurch.

        Admin what I stated she wanted Police Inspector Wordsworth Telemaque to do for her; he refused causing her to hate him is true; it was not printed.
         Dog, and Elizabeth refers to her as Mrs.Charles; they so ignorant not knowing Charles her madden name!

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      July 23, 2020

      All you suggest is according to what you perhaps believe; nevertheless; corruption in Dominica in her day was under cover.

      Asks yourself why was the Hall of Records burnt to the ground?

      Remember Leo Austin?

      Man do not defend the undefendable  okay!

      Try and find somebody who knows and asks questions.

      When I was about 11 years old I got a letter form that woman accusing me of going on Frobel Laville Estate, chopping down timber, and fruit baring trees in order for me to cultivate bananas.

      Hahahahahahahahahah!

      Eleven years old okay!

      I knew she was bad and vindictive; nevertheless, the worst of her surfaced when my relative the late beloved nation wide police Inspector Wordsworth Telemaque died.

      What that lady did to prevent people from traveling East West North and South into Roseau to attend the funeral?

      She created  landslides with a bulldozer blocking the roads so that they could not drive.
      So the people got out of the vehicles  and walk to Roseau…

      • Man bites dogs
        July 24, 2020

        Another bit of bulls**t from that man Francisco, when that monster was 11 years old Eugenia Charles was not even in office yet dam liar liar how many cheap bourbon whiskey 🥃 have you!!

        • July 27, 2020

          @Man bites dogs, good observation. 11 years old for that man was in 1955. Looking at Mrs. Charles in 1980, she was probably just a few years older than him. What authority would she have to send such letters to people, especially him?

          • Francisco Etinne-Dods Telemaque
            July 27, 2020

            As for you for you dom, Eugenia Charles, was never married.
            Her father was J.B Charles, so I don’t when she became. Mrs. Charls
            Charles.
            One of us is an idiot but it is not I!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • Francisco Etinne-Dods Telemaque
          July 27, 2020

          Man Dog if you were not ignorant shallow and a a can’t read dog, you would understand when that wicked demon wrote me the letter she was a lawyer representing Laville.

          Get some reading comprehension, you are bit of scum.

  17. July 23, 2020

    What was s great about her please name a few. Freshen my memory .

    • Say it as
      July 24, 2020

      What was great about her? This was a period when there was real governance, when the whole island got electrified including Tarreau next door, when feeder roads were constructed and surfaced with up to the plantations, when the primary healthcare system was developed and health centres built all over the place, when the Government housing loan board was created, when the cruise-ship ports were constructed, When the industrial estate in Canefield was constructed and IDC was formed, this is when Dexia was set up, this is when major road rehabilitation took placed, this when the Education Trust Fund was establish, the real housing revolution when we the people built our houses, this was when money was in the hands of the average man and there was real village life. And I can go on and on. If wish that I continue let me know

      • July 26, 2020

        SAY IT AS
        Yes i want you to continue. You might be to young to talk about light in Tarreau. Feeder roads cane under Leblanc. Health centers were created and Dexia was set up by PJ. And run by a great foot baller from Newtown the housing started with Frank Barron with the housing scheme by the deep water harbor continued with PJ. cane field and Bath estate. Yes she did the cruise ship port and the Roseau bay front but give me a break yes come with more. I think that you are no match for my memory. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT MORE.

    • Say it as
      July 24, 2020

      Wallace Hussey please inform yourself. She served the Country well. Apart from the tremendous work she did for the State, she personally provided a large number of scholarship to young people. That is with her own money. We cannot build Country by minimizing the contribution of our past leaders. This is a failure of our leadership not to highlight and recognize the contribution of past leaders

    • Justice
      July 24, 2020

      For fifteen years fifty percent of her salary went to the education trust fund. No under the table deals. No missing money. Very transparent. None of her ministers could run amok, ask Henry George.

  18. Righteous
    July 23, 2020

    Dame Marie Eugenia Charles, aka Iron Lady aka Mamo, aka Mama Eugenia continue to Rest In Internal Peace.

    “The Essence of great LEADERSHIP is Influence, not authority.”

    One Love Dominicans #OLD

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